Architecture

Credits

10 credit module at Level 7 (Postgraduate level) (reference ART122)

Dates and cost

Autumn Semester. Contact us for the latest timetable and fee information.

Outline description

This module introduces the principal concepts of sustainability. It considers the historic development of the 'green' movement and Climate Change as an important context for sustainable development.

It identifies different sustainability positions adopted today, both at a theoretical and practical level and encourages students to question these as well as their own views. The module demands students to develop their own sustainability position in relation to a specific development scale (from individual buildings through communities to urban scale); while including social and environmental considerations that underpin sustainability in the built environment (ie. health and wellbeing, social justice, professional responsibility and ethics).

The module provides a structure for students to develop, discuss and formulate their personal sustainability standpoint and reflect on the role of their chosen future profession in delivering holistic sustainability.

Objectives

On completion of the module, a student should be able to:

• summarise the concept and the context of sustainability
• identify the complexities and interdependencies of sustainable development and the constraints involved in applying sustainability principles into practice at a variety of development scales
• formulate a justified position to illustrate what their chosen professional role can do to enhance holistic sustainability in relation to the built environment

Delivery

Access to the material for this module will be offered to all students through Cardiff University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Learning Central. Material will be released week on week, through the course of the module; it is the student’s responsibility to work through this material in a timely manner. The material will relate to:

Readings: Students will be expected to work through set texts, either supplied through our VLE, or through the book(s) listed as Reading, below and/or provided on the first day of the module.

Lectures: Several lectures will cover the key subject areas. Subject matter will be explained verbally, assisted by visual aids.

Seminars: Particular issues will be explored in group seminars. Students will have the opportunity to articulate and discuss their views on specific subjects. Short tasks will be set to give students opportunities for individual study and create a forum for the exchange of views between students.

Case studies: Concepts and principles will be illustrated by case studies from industry and academia.

Distance students will have access to, and will be expected to view/listen to, recordings of lectures and discussions given at Cardiff University that are related to this module. These lectures expand upon, or explain, the principal subject matter provided in the essential reading list. Typically, recordings of the lectures will be accompanied by PowerPoint or PDF presentations.

Credits

10 credit module at Level 7 (Postgraduate level) (reference ART135)

Dates and cost

Spring Semester. Contact us for the latest timetable and fee information.

Outline description

Low-carbon design requires a holistic approach to the energy use of a building. The designer needs to understand in principle how buildings use energy and to supplement this understanding with evidence of energy use from the field. He or she needs to be able to work with goals for building design, such as zero carbon standards, and with ways of offsetting energy consumption with renewable technologies.

The aims of the module are therefore:

• to introduce the ways in which buildings use energy
• to introduce methods of meeting building energy demands through renewables and low-energy systems
• to introduce techniques for assessing the energy footprint and sustainable performance of the building using benchmarking.

Objectives

On completion of the module, a student should be able to:

• explain how buildings use energy, the demands and loads with buildings and the impact of occupancy on energy use
• explain the use of renewable technologies and low-energy cooling technologies within buildings
• show a basic knowledge of the concept of embodied energy
• show an understanding of assessment tools for sustainable design
• evaluate how well a building attains low carbon design
• assess the impact of the various building services options on a building design problem

Delivery

The principal subject matter will be explained in lectures, assisted by visual aids, interaction with the students and, where applicable, demonstrations. The lectures will be recorded and made available online.

Online support material: The module content will be accessible to students in electronic form as web-based information, technical notes and interactive demonstrations, making use of Cardiff University’s Virtual Learning Environment ‘Learning Central.’

Set texts: Certain texts will be used as a main reference source to ensure that students are familiar with the material covered in them.

Case studies: Included in the lecture presentations will be a discussion of real-life examples to show how the theory studied in the module has been implemented in practice.

• Short tasks will be set to give students opportunities to reinforce their skills and knowledge in the subject area and create a forum for the exchange of views between students. They will also provide an opportunity for students to improve their writing and presentation skills. These tasks may be performed through a collaborative online environment.
• Students are allowed to discuss specific topics with tutors and peers in group seminars. These will involve significant student participation and give students the opportunity to put forward and discuss their own views. These group sessions may be performed through a collaborative online environment.
• There will be practical exercises to give students practice in implementing some subject-specific skills, as well as to provide an opportunity for them to exercise their more generic problem-solving and presentation skills. Workshops will be conducted with students at computer terminals being guided through the operation of software used in the module. These workshops may be performed through a collaborative online environment.

Computer modelling: Students will have the opportunity to get ‘hands-on’ experience with software modelling methods introduced in the course.

Credits

10 credit module at Level 7 (Postgraduate level) (reference ART142)

Dates and cost

Spring semester. This module is available to study fully online or in-person.

Please contact us for the latest timetable and fee information.

Outline description

This module focuses on the introduction of methods and techniques by which building designers, owners and operators can determine whether their building performs as anticipated. It introduces measurement and post-occupancy evaluation.

Sustainable development of the built environment requires that buildings perform as expected. Experience has shown us that buildings that are uncomfortable, badly operated, or poorly maintained, will use far more resources than they were designed

The module is based on the belief that evaluation, feedback and critique are vital components to the progress of design. Progress can only be achieved when this assessment is completed using credible and appropriate methods. The module aims to reinforce this message and introduce the student to a number of investigative and analytical methods and techniques, including simulation, measurement and survey. It will consider both physical and human perspectives of the built environment and draw on methods appropriate to both academic and practice-based investigations.

Objectives

On completion of the module, a student should be able to:

• identify factors that contribute positively towards sustainable performance of buildings in use
• identify appropriate monitoring and research techniques to evaluate building and development performance in use
• explain how monitoring and investigations can be undertaken to help improve building performance

Delivery

Access to the material for this module will be offered to all students through the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Learning Central. Material will be released week on week, through the course of the module; it is the student’s responsibility to work through this material in a timely manner. The material will relate to:

• Lectures: The principal subject matter will be explained in lectures, assisted by visual aids, interaction with the students and, where applicable, demonstrations. Lectures will typically be recorded and available for review
• Online support material and reading: The module content will be accessible to students in electronic form. In addition, certain texts will be used as main reference sources to ensure that students are familiar with the material covered in them
• Assignments: There will be practical exercises set to give students practice in implementing some subject-specific skills

In addition, to support the above, there will be:

• Discussions: Online discussion boards, for both distance and local students, will be used for both student-tutor support and peer support
• Tutorials: Face-to-face discussions in small groups using online communications software may be booked with a module tutor, to a mutually agreed timetable

The module will be delivered face to face with some online elements.

Credits

20 credit module at Level 7 (Postgraduate level) (reference ART802)

Dates and cost

Autumn semester. Please contact us for the latest timetable and fee information.

Outline description

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the use of physical and digital prototyping methods of form-finding for creative design enquiry. It extends the concepts and techniques of design investigations to include principles of computational design. This module will allow you to investigate several design concepts and workflows and create form-finding solutions and workflows that address them.

You will learn how abstract principles learned from physical form-finding investigations and apply them to a digital form-finding process. The module will enable you to understand both general concepts and specific form-finding strategies. In addition, you will gain an understanding of principles and methods of architectural design and representation.

Objectives

On completion of the module, a student should be able to:

• critically evaluate the role of computational principles and methods in a creative process
• creatively apply computational principles and methods in a design process
• present creative computational processes and their outcome effectively

Delivery

The lectures will introduce you to design concepts, as well as form-finding strategies and workflows that address these concepts. Teaching throughout the module will be based on learning through exploration and experimentation with physical and digital processes. You will complete some work individually and some collaboratively in groups which will mimic the interdisciplinary nature of work in the professional world.

The projects will be underpinned by the following study methods:

• use of digital or physical prototyping techniques to investigate creative responses to design problems.
• use of digital form-finding techniques for simulation, modelling and visualisation.
• use of online tutorials and resources for self-directed learning, making use of Cardiff University’s Virtual Learning Environment ‘Learning Central’